The Top 5 Super Bowl Commercials of All Time

Did you know that approximately 70 ads played during the Super Bowl last year? Super Bowl LVIII is on the horizon, and although we’re wishing the Giants were in the game, we’re celebrating 58 editions of this cultural phenomenon. 

Whether you’re watching the actual game or just tuning in for the halftime show, there’s one thing that we can all agree on: the Super Bowl has the most iconic commercials. Let’s walk down memory lane and take a look at five of the most iconic Super Bowl commercials of all time, and the marketing angle they’re taking to live in your mind for years to come. 

Do you remember where you were when you saw Betty White get tackled on TV? In this commercial, “Mike” is playing football with his friends when they tell him he’s playing like Betty White. It’s not until he eats a Snickers that Mike turns back into his normal self because “you’re not you when you’re hungry.” 

Snickers used several tactics to create a memorable, clever commercial. Betty White was a comedy legend, and she was a strong choice as the celebrity endorsement in this ad. Everyone knows who Betty White is, and she isn’t directly telling you to eat a Snickers, making the viewer focus more on the humor in the commercial over the product the company is trying to sell. It’s not obvious that this is a commercial for the popular candy bar until you hear their classic slogan “you’re not you when you’re hungry,” so the viewer connects a happy emotion with Snickers subconsciously. And, it only takes thirty seconds to hook you and make your day. 

If you think about it, every ad is a Tide ad. At least, that’s the point David Harbour is trying to make in this 2018 commercial. The “Stranger Things” star was the perfect spokesperson for this ad, with the popular show being two years old and at the height of its fame. Attracting lovers of the Netflix show, David Harbour goes through the different stereotypical Super Bowl ads, from trucks to perfume to alcohol. In it, he explains that every ad is a Tide ad because they all feature stainless, clean clothing. Therefore, they must be using the brand’s product, right? 

For years afterward, people suspected that regular ads might be a Tide ad, never knowing when the laundry detergent brand would strike. This, as well as poking fun at the stereotypes of different Super Bowl ads, made viewers fond of this commercial.

Budweiser is known as the “king” of Super Bowl commercials, and this one is no different. It’s simple, yet extremely effective. There’s three frogs, sitting on lily pads. One is croaking “Bud,” another croaking “Weis,” and the last one croaking “Er.” In the end, the frogs are croaking in a pattern that sounds out “Budweiser.” 

It’s obscure, but the simplicity and repetition landed with viewers, lasting in their minds to this day. 

This commercial took more of a serious tone, interviewing real people about what it means to run, fight, and throw “like a girl.” The first group of people they interviewed were boys and teenage girls, who portrayed these actions in a weak way. Young girls, though, just showed examples of running, fighting, and throwing. They showed that girls can be and are strong. 

The purpose of this commercial was to highlight research that girls experience a drop in self-confidence at puberty. This fit into their larger-scale campaign, #LikeAGirl, where they tackled topics regarding things that society does that could harm a young girl’s confidence. As a feminine hygiene brand, they shared with the world that it was part of their duty to fight gender stereotypes and biases. Using real people with real answers was effective to many, empowering people watching the commercial to adjust their mindset.

This was one of the most unique Super Bowl commercials of all time, hitting screens across the country just a few years ago. It’s just a QR code, bouncing around the screen for about 57 seconds until a simple screen reading “Coinbase: Paid for by Coinbase © 2022” appears. 

This ad targeted the impatience and curiosity of viewers, its simplicity inspiring people to scan the QR code just to see what it was. The QR code drove scanners right to their website, increasing site traffic and inspiring people to click around and learn more about cryptocurrency. If the page is already open on your mobile device, why wouldn’t you look around a bit?

It takes a special kind of Super Bowl commercial to become iconic. Whether companies choose to play on humor and nostalgia or curiosity and celebrity, only a select few remain in the minds of viewers for years to come. Think of your next marketing campaign like you’re planning the next best Super Bowl commercial. Consider the power of humor, outside-of-the-box creativity, and emotional resonance to make your marketing stick with viewers. 

In the meantime, we can’t wait to see what Super Bowl LVIII has in store!